TPL Statement On Salazar Nomination

SAN FRANCISCO, 12/17/2008: Alan Front, Senior Vice President of The Trust for Public Land (TPL), today issued the following statement on the nomination of U.S. Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado to be the next Secretary of the Interior:

“The Trust for Public Land praises today’s announcement of President-elect Obama’s choice for the Secretary of the Interior. We appreciate Senator Salazar’s abiding commitment to the conservation of wildlife habitat, recreation lands and access, natural and scenic landscapes, and other resource areas. Throughout his career, he has rightly placed a high priority on programs and projects that resolve land-use challenges faced by communities and property owners by securing threatened resource properties for public use and enjoyment.

In the next few years, America’s public land resources and the communities that depend on them will face unprecedented challenges. We are confident that Senator Salazar, as Secretary of the Interior, will bring his considerable conservation perspective, experience, and leadership to bear on the key land protection decisions before the nation. We look forward to working with him to take full advantage of the conservation opportunities that bring the greatest benefits to America’s resources, communities, and the public at large.

As a U.S. Senator, Sen. Salazar has been a visionary champion for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), the premier federal program for purchasing and enhancing park land and recreational facilities, and he has been responsible for the conservation of a broad spectrum of irreplaceable public land resources. As a state official before coming to Washington, he created programs and pursued natural resource policies that put him at the vanguard of public land protection. As Secretary of the Interior, Sen. Salazar will bring exactly the focus, balance and perspective that our nation and its public lands deserve.”

The Trust for Public Land, established in 1972, specializes in conservation real estate, applying its expertise in negotiations, public finance, and law to protect land for people to enjoy as parks, greenways, community gardens, urban playgrounds, and wilderness. With funding from a variety of federal programs, including the LWCF, state and local open-space funds, and other public and private investments, TPL has helped to protect more than 2.5 million acres across the country. For more information, visit TPL on the web at www.tpl.org.